Wasatch 60 Fastpack (Muir Prep)

So in final preparation for the John Muir Trail we had a trial run. We wanted to test our gear, our fitness, and our minds. Could we really average 25 miles per day for 9 days on the Muir Trail? We decided to try 60 miles in 2 days along the Wasatch Front. Our course would consist of 27 miles of the Wasatch 100 course and then continue following the Great Western Trail around Mt Timpanogos and home.

Friday July 18th we drove up Mill Creek Canyon, mile 61.7 of the Wasatch course, to start our test. We started hiking around 8:00 am and the first few miles went quickly as we passed Dog and Desolation Lakes. Unfortunately coming down Scott's Tower the balls of my feet started really hurting. Memories of Wasatch 100 when the balls of my feet peeled off began haunting me. Once in Brighton Golden and I swapped shoes to see if that would make a difference, which it did. For some reason the stiff Montrail models (Continental Divides & Hardrocks) give me problems on the balls of my feet. I was planning on taking Hardrocks but I have now opted for the Vasque Velocity VST's which were a bit too heavy for me to run in but are softer and more flexible than it's Montrail counterparts for long distance hiking. Golden is taking the Brooks Cascadia, which worked out very well for us (Golden and I are the same size and plan on swapping shoes regularly).


After a 30 minute stop in Brighton, we filled up our water and continued up and over magnificent Catherines Pass. It was beautiful and we made great time. Our packs were around 24-25lbs which we did on purpose to mimic the maximum weight of our packs. We made it to Rock Springs, Wasatch 100 mile 87.4, around 7:00 pm where we cooked up a large dinner and had a nice long water stop. Once at Point Supreme we branched off and got on the Ridge Trail where 3 miles from Rock Springs we stopped and made camp. Our feet hurt but we had a successful day. We started later than we will on the John Muir Trail, took our time, and finished feeling relatively strong.


The next morning we awoke at 6:00 am and by 6:30 am we were hiking down the trail. A quick breakfast at 7:30 and then down into Timpanoke campground with the always inspiring Mt Timpanogos looming before us. By 9:30 we were filling our water bottles and taking a sponge bath at Timpanoke. With 21 miles to go, we still needed to virtually circumnavigating Timp. Surprisingly though, I felt better on day 2 than day 1! This was a good sign. I taped my feet and was back in the Hardrocks and we cruised! Around Timp we went following the Great Western Trail. By 12:30pm we were already at the top of Grove Canyon and soon we were in the Battle Creek Meadows. We soaked our feet in the last possible creek, which we should have also filtered some water, and headed over the saddle of Baldy. By this time the front side of Timp was hot! Those last 7-8 miles were tough as we were running low on water and the temperature was nearing 100 degrees! But it was all downhill and we walked in Golden's north Orem house at exactly 5:20pm! Aside from some sore feet, which hopefully will be resolved by these Vasques, I felt great! The total mileage from the trip was just under 60 miles.


Now instead of doing 29-30 miles per day, on the Muir Trail we will only need to average 25 miles. The elevation is a bit higher but the temperatures should be lower. There will be plenty of water as well. If my feet hold up I feel confident in our ability to finish without many problems and definitely within the time frame of 9 days. I'm excited and I better be since we leave this weekend!

John Muir Trail Preparation

Argued as the most beautiful trail in America the John Muir Trail runs from Yosemite National Park, through Sequoia and Kings Canyon National Parks, and finishes atop the highest mountain on the continental United States, Mount Whitney 14,505 ft. It's length is approximately 225 miles.

Over the winter I was approached by a friend to fastpack this amazing trail in a mere 10 days. I jumped at the idea and have been preparing ever since. The original group all bailed out on me but I ended up convincing long time friend and runner Golden Harper to come and do it with me. We are now 10 days away from the trip and locking down our final preparations. We have also decided to attempt it in 9 days. Pack weight is slowly getting whittled down and we are hoping that our packs will weigh between 20-22 lbs for the majority of the trip. We will have only one resupply point at Muir Ranch which is approximately half way.

More information later to come, and no I am not a Karl Meltzer copy-cat. Remember last year I fastpacked the Uintah Highline Trail long before Karl started publicizing his AT journey, and I have been an avid backpacker most of my life. But great minds do think alike! I am hugely excited for this challenge and it should be tons of fun.

Also a huge thanks to our sponsors on this trip: GOLITE and RUNNER'S CORNER

Summer Kayaking

So one of my many time consuming and expensive hobbies is whitewater kayaking. Although I don't get to go as often as I would like, I am still able to squeeze in a few nice runs now and again. Recently I went up to Sixth Water and finally got some pics! Sixth Water is actually an artificial river which diverts water from Strawberry Reservoir into Diamond Fork. It's pretty fun Kayaking and as Ryan, my buddy who ran it for the first time said, "It takes class V balls but class III skill and consequences!" For the most part it's a straightforward run with a nice causeway and a bunch of 8 to 15 foot waterfalls and absolutely awesome to run. Every time I go up there I have so much fun. What a cool place. Good luck finding it and scout first if no one in your group has run it.

Logan Peak Trail Run 08

So last week I was still sick. After Squaw Peak 50 I ended up getting sick for over a week. I suspect is was from getting cold, wet, and exhausted from Squaw Peak and then going white water kayaking on back to back days in icy cold snow run-off. It sucked. Lets just say that since Squaw Peak I had run 6 times for a grand total of 50 miles. Pretty pathetic. Then in an effort to force my lazy butt back on the trails I signed up for the Logan Peak Trail Run a meager 5 days before race day. Needless to say I struggled but let me tell you that this race is a classic event that every Utah Ultrarunner should participate in.

One reason I signed up for this event was to visit my cousin's the Mechams. We rarely get up to Logan and this was a good excuse to visit family and take part in a new race. So Friday afternoon my wife and I drove on up to Logan (If you live in Davis County I am sorry because the traffic there truly sucks). Our incredible hosts hooked us up and first thing Saturday morning I was off to the event. The start was uneventful for the most part. Once the race started we all got in line behind Leland. Leland knew everyone was relying on him for pacing and course directions so he dutifully became the rabbit. The climb up Dry Canyon was brutal. My legs were more sluggish than I wanted and so I purposely went up a little slower then everyone else. I talked quite a bit with Jon Allen as we motored up the mountain. The terrain rose quickly and with it the mountain vegetation changed as well. Wildflowers, lush vegetation, aspens, and pines. It was gorgeous. Before I knew it we were at AS#1. The aid station was limited since they have to pack everything up on mules. I was in 7th place and had 4 guys directly in front of me which put me in an awkward position. I wanted to place well in this event and I made a ridiculously stupid move since I was already a ways back. After standing and watching the others fill their bottles, I got impatient waiting and decided to blow through the aid station. IT WAS SO STUPID. WHAT WAS I THINKING?!

The next several miles were amazing! The trail became a rolling singletrack of near perfection. I easily caught up to the front pack which would have happened even if I had taken 30 extra seconds to fill up on water at AS#1 (I'm quite bitter at myself for this if you can't tell). Anyway this section went quickly and was wonderful. The pack was thinning out and the trail runnable. Luckily there was a small water station at mile 10 which enabled me to finally fill my water bottle. By this point the front pack was down to five and nobody wanted to make a significant move past Leland. I was feeling pretty good through this section and then AS#2 crept up on me. I was in fourth place with all three guys right in front of me and I didn't want to get back logged like I did at AS#1. I had most of my bottle still full and without thinking I blew through this station as well!! STUPID! I don't know what I was thinking but next thing I knew I was in the lead and had spiced things up a bit for us frontrunners.

The climb up Logan Peak was relentless, snowy, and/or muddy. Jon Allen and Leland responded quickly to my move and together we climbed up the mountain. Knowing my downhill abilities I let them pass me to the top but caught them on the downhill. I polished off my water and filled up once back at the aid station. However, less than a mile down the road I started cramping! It was bad too. I had felt a few twinges earlier but this hit hard. I quickly took some electrolyte caps and drank a bunch of water as I slowed down moving into 4th place. The next 5-6 miles were pretty bad. The cramps dissipated but I knew they would come back. I drank all my water to fight the onset but there were no stations and the temperature was rising. I did everything I could to stay relaxed and within range of the front runners. The trail was amazing and the views incredible as I struggled on. I passed Greg Norrander who provided all of these fantastic pictures and then stubbled upon a spring at mile 23! I quickly filled up and decided that it was now or never to make my move. Off I went drinking as much water as possible trying to catch the leaders.

Shortly thereafter I reached the final aid station, filled up my bottle, and took off. I soon caught and passed Leland as I speedily made it downhill hearing that the leader was 2 minutes ahead with less then 4 miles left. Sadly the water was too little too late and I cramped again coming to a grinding halt. It was awful. I polished off every drop of liquid and my last electrolyte pill in a desperate attempt to keep running while hobbling down the trail. Leland caught and passed me in the climax of my pain at which point I then decided that I was going to beat that old man if it took everything I had. The next few minutes were painful but that water and pill kicked in just in time. Leland and I ran the next mile together at which point I decided to take a chance and pass him. Yelling and hollering I challenged Leland to catch me and off we went. That old bugger is tough and for the last mile I kept looking over my shoulder yelling at Leland to keep moving. He would holler back that he was cramping bad. We must have been quite the sight running as hard as we could on cramping legs. With 200 yds to go I knew that the worthy running legend wouldn't catch me as I kicked it in yelling and hollering to a second place finish in a time of 4:53:38. I think I might have driven Leland too hard as he crossed the finish line 14 seconds later and colapsed due to his cramping. Check out the results here: http://www.loganpeakrun.com/

To be honest I had so much energy at the end of the race but my poor legs took the brunt of my stupidity with the cramping. Dehydrated with too little sodium I was a mere 2 minutes from the winner Jon Allen. Wade McFarland ran an awesome race and finished 4 minutes back from Leland in fourth place. All-in-all it was a great course and a great day. I needed to get out and push myself again and what a perfect challenge. Plus there was cash prizes! For second place I got $60 cash and a great pair of Smith sunglasses! Note to self- don't blow through 2 of 3 aid stations on a 90 degree day. It's painful. Here's to the next few weeks of early morning high altitude trailrunning. Yahoo!!! Happy trails.

Squaw Peak 50, 2008

Squaw Peak 50, 2008 is a year to remember..."the year of the mud" as it is already being called. For some reason I am hopelessly hooked on this race. I think about, plan, train, eat, sleep, dream, and live for the Squaw Peak 50 miler. This year was no different, yet my preparation was frustrating to say the least. Hamstring injury early in the year, school and work taking up lots of time, and 16 days in Europe. Don't get me wrong, graduating from college and a once in a life time trip to Europe are great but it does hinder the training for Squaw Peak. I did however carefully plan my long runs and rest weeks to correlate with my hectic schedule. With my preparation the best I could muster, I woke up on June 7th 2008 ready to race.

Not two steps outside my garage and my plans were in serious turmoil. RAIN! And lots of it. Quickly my mind started making tweaks to my pre-formulated plan. What do I need to wear now? Drop bags? Pace? Oh well. At the starting line I didn't wait long in the rain but rather kept warm in the car. Minutes before the start I got out and headed over. It looked like everyone else was more bewildered than I was. Like usual John didn't mess around at the start and the race began with a simple verbal command "Go". Man was everyone taking the start slow. But then again, that was my plan as well. Plus I had the added benefit those first few miles of running with good friends. Christian Johnson, Dave Hunt, Peter Lingren, Karl Jarvis, Shane Martin, Joe Martel, and heck, we even had Davy Crockett up there. It was fun and time went fast. The mud, however, had other ideas. It was still raining and with the ground becoming increasingly over saturated it began to take it's toll on the runners and our times. Several times I slipped and had to use tree branches to pull myself up the mountain. We were already passing the early starters and the rain was turning to snow. I was surprised by how quickly the field thinned out. My split to Rock Canyon was very slow and my hands were so cold at AS#3 that I was there much longer than anticipated trying to put on my running vest and zip up my jacket. Thanks to the aid station volunteer who finally zipped up my jacket for me!

Heading over Kolob Basin through 3 inches of beautiful fresh snow was a highlight for me. I had started slow, was running relaxed with good friend and training partner Karl Jarvis, and the feeling of running through the lightly falling snow in the mountains was surreal. Then while passing some early starters, the silence was broken with the sound of "Nice job, your in 5th and 6th place!" I was stunned. I had thought more people were in front of us. I had decided before the race that place would not be an issue for me. I would run my splits and listen to my body. Of course with the rain, snow, and mud I had quickly stopped looking at my watch and was focusing on running smoothly while listening to my body. Karl and I continued to run the next 7-8 miles together down into Hobble Creek. We passed Brian Price and motored up the asphalt. It went so quickly! Soon I had also gaped Karl and entered AS#6, mile 26, hollering and yelling with excitement. I was pumped and feeling good. I filled up my water bottle, grabbed some gels, and off I went.

I felt my race died last year at mile 27 and this year I was determined to run this entire section...which I did. I soon passed Rich McDonald and before I knew it I was taking the turn up Sheep Creek. I didn't even fill up my water bottle, which worried me a bit but the weather was so cool that I wasn't perspiring. Heading through the Sheep Creek meadows and aspen groves was another highlight for me. I was now running in a solid 3rd place and feeling great. I ran as many sections as I could and made great time down into Little Valley. I grabbed my waist belt out of my drop bag (up til now I had used only a single 20 oz handheld), ate some potato's with salt, and was off to Windy Pass.

For some reason I don't remember a lot of this section. I remember running a surprising amount but I was really just comfortably pushing the pace. Up and up I was running, grateful it wasn't raining. Boy it sure went quick. I felt that I was a machine running up the mountain, gelling every 30 minutes, drinking every 10-15 minutes. At the base of Bozung Hill I ran into Phil Lowry, good friend and last of the 4am starters. Soon my machine was chugging slower than I wanted. After being in California all week the lack of oxygen hit me. I consorted to slugging up the hill instead of powering up it. I took a look back and could see 2 dots behind me 15 minutes away. They wouldn't catch me, especially on the downhill. I painfully made my way up Bozung Hill with Phil breathing down my neck. We even paused a time or two to take pictures of each other(check back later for the pics). Once at the rock cairn I left Phil and stumbled down the large rocks (there's no trail) into Windy Pass, again yelling and hollering with excitement. The group up there led by Jim Skaggs are all-stars, that's all I need to sat about that.

As I was quickly leaving the aid station someone cautioned that the trail and snow patches were slick so be careful...I barely heard them I was so excited knowing that the race was almost over. I fell. A lot. That snow up there was slick! and after 3 or 4 rather hard falls I realized that making it down in 45-50 minutes was not going to happen this year. So I had to slow down a bit over the icy snow patches and try to then switch gears and let-er-buck on the open runnable sections. It was surprisingly hard to really open up coming down the mountain. I don't know if it was the switching gears due to mud and snow patches or my stabilizer muscles which had been overworked due to the days conditions (my legs were sore!). I suppose it was a bit of both. But down I came as fast as I could. It felt awesome though. That was one thing about the race this year. I felt so good the whole race. Maybe because I wasn't worried about time or place, just running as well as I could. Maybe I finally dialed into my nutrition and blister problems. But for whatever reason I was having so much fun.

I hit As#10 without stopping. I did drop my belt and jacket off with my wife but I had no intention of slowing down. It was weird because those last 4 miles were awful during previous years but this year they felt great. I was tired and my legs were heavy but I held form and finished strong. My finishing time was 9:36:35 in 3rd place. I couldn't have been happier about the way I raced. After talking with several people I feel that with the weather and trail conditions the way they were my time was equivalent to a 8:45:00. Considering my preparation I was overjoyed with my time and the way I ran. Maybe next year will be even better! Who knows and who cares? 2008 was awesome. I hope everyone else felt good about their race. I know the mud was a problem for some people but one thing about Ultra's is that they are going to be run regardless of weather or conditions. Congratulations to anyone who finished this race or volunteered to make Squaw Peak a success. Thanks and Happy Trails!

London, England

We were only able to squeeze two days in London but it was worth it. I served an LDS mission there and attended a summer study abroad program there. I wanted to go and just re-experience the vibe of London. We ate Kebabs, chocolate biscuits, and Indian food; bought some new clothes (British make fantastically superior suits, shirts, and ties), and just walked around the streets of London. It was fun, quick, and brought back lots of great memories! Cheers to London, the greatest city on Earth!